Year 5 Smoking Debate

Smoking Debate

Year5 KON & Year 5JW came together today to debate the motion:
"This House beleives that smoking should be banned forever."
The classes divided themselves up into house groups with Stuarts and Tudors proposing the motion and Windors and Hannovers opposing it. Children from both sides had some forthright and strongly held views on this topical discussion. An array of debating techniques were used to enhance and further ones arguement. Rhetorical questioning, emotive language, real life characters and situations employed to further childrens' understanding of the implications of a rule change. The thing that impressed both myself and Mr. Watson the most though was how ready you all were to engage in debate and how people listened intently to the opposition before countering with all the skills of a Barrack Obama or a John Mc Cain!

Mrs. Hislop was the House Speaker. Mr. Watson was on the side of the proposing team and Mr. O'Neill on the side of the opposition.


Stuarts and Tudors
Main arguments for the banning of smoking everywhere.

• The health risks. 120, 000 people die in the UK each year because of smoking related illnesses.
• Roy Castle died of lung cancer and yet never smoked a cigarette in his life.
• Why should the tax payer have to continue to pay such a heavy bill for smokers?
• Lots of folk smoke and due to poor education or ignorance - they aware unaware of the damage that they are doing to themselves and those around them.
• Cigarette butts litter the environment and have caused further loss of life through quickly spreading fires.

Hanovers and Windsors

Main arguments against the abolition of smoking.

• In the freedom of ones own home and when consideration for others is taken into account - if someone still wishes to smoke that is their perogative.
• Tobacco growing countries and their economies would crumble over night.
• No one wants to see an illegal black market trade of cigarettes
• The man who has worked in the tobacco factory for 20years is now suddenly out of a job and maybe unemployable
• In Iraq - The American Forces have been using cigarette packets as a means of public communications. Packs have a telephone number on them - where you can report suspicious terrorist activities to the authorities. Perhaps saving lives?

Both sides agreed on a number of issues and an ammended motion is being implemented as we speak.

Mr. Watson and I would like to thank the children today for what we beleive was the highlight of Yr5 this year to date. Children argued their case with vigour yet still were big enough to concede certain points of the debate in order for the house to reach a comprimise.